


Grant a Name to a Buried and a Burning Flame

by FlightlessAngelWings



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arranged Marriage, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Hades and Persephone AU, Historical, Implied Sexual Content, Mutual Pining, Other, breif character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:21:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29184684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlightlessAngelWings/pseuds/FlightlessAngelWings
Summary: a Hades!Din DJarin x Persephone!reader AU (gender neutral reader)
Relationships: Din Djarin/Reader, Din Djarin/You
Comments: 4
Kudos: 43





	Grant a Name to a Buried and a Burning Flame

“Persephone!”

You turned your head toward the voice that called your name. It wasn’t your birth name, but once you became of age you were assigned the name and your real name was never used in public anymore. No one remembered how or why it started, but it became tradition for every royal to assume the name of an Old God as a title and signifier of their status. Most took to it and even forgot their birth names, but you made sure that you used your real name when you were alone with yourself. 

Some maybe wanted to forget and embrace their role in life, but you didn’t want to forget. If you were honest with yourself, you didn’t even want this role. But, you were born into it and as soon as you were old enough, you were prepared for the day you would lead your kingdom. You were good at it for sure, and leading came naturally to you, but you didn’t feel like this was your calling. You didn’t even feel like this was truly a home to you, even as beautiful as the land was.

The voice belonged to your mother, Demeter, who found you in the garden again. It’s where she usually found you: alone in the peace and quiet, surrounded by your favorite flowers. Flowers always lined your chiton and served as decorative accents to the long robe you typically wore. Sometimes, you even tucked one behind your ear as well. The beauty of the harvest and forests were one of the only comforts to your kingdom. Otherwise, it all just felt lonely to you, and like you didn’t truly belong there.

“Yes mother?” you rolled your eyes before you turned to face her. You already knew what she came to see you about and you dreaded it. 

“Persephone you know you can’t spend all your time out here. You have responsibilities,” she always pushed your royal duties on you and then some, and you hated it. She always seemed more concerned for what you could offer her than what you were as a person, and it got under your skin more than you liked to admit.

You felt trapped in your role, in your kingdom. With a defeated sigh, you decided not to argue with her this time, “Yes mother.”

It was another several days before you could sneak out to your garden again, and you felt smothered every minute you stayed within the walls of the palace. It was lavish and beautiful, and the sun always shone through the windows, but you still felt suffocated. With a deep breath, you took in the fresh air and plucked your favorite flower from a nearby bush. As you exhaled you whispered your name, a habit you got yourself into so that you would never forget it. At times, your mother had trouble remembering her birth name, and you didn’t want that for yourself.

As you gazed down the horizon, you suddenly felt a pull to run past the gate that separated your palace and garden from the rest of the kingdom. It was as if a voice inside your head screamed at you to get out, to leave and never look back. You had heard that voice before, and you almost gave in several times. But you always stopped yourself just before you stepped over the threshold. Before you even realized your movements, you moved forward until your body lined up with the border.

Beyond the lush of your own kingdom lay a more barren land, and you could see the darkness shadow in the distance. It should have scared you, you should have wanted to stay away from it. And yet, you couldn’t help but feel a pull towards it instead. The kingdom in the distance was the complete opposite of yours: where yours was sunny and colorful, the other land was dark and dull. It looked as if the land was lifeless, though you knew it had a daily large population.

You looked back over your shoulder, and when you didn’t see anyone, you finally took the next step.

Once you started, you couldn’t stop and you ran as fast as you could. For the first time in your adult life, you felt free. Some of your flowers fell off in your haste, but plenty more still decorated your figure. The one that you had tucked behind your ear stayed somehow, and since it was your favorite you were grateful for that little comfort. The weight of your royal title felt far away, and you could just be you. Even as the darkness and emptiness of the land surrounded you more and more, you embraced it. 

It was a quiet land, and you stayed in the forests and away from any villages to stay hidden. The trees were so dark they were almost black, and hardly any vegetation grew on them. You became more aware of how much you stood out here; a lone flower among the dirt, a lone light in the darkness. Nevertheless, you kept on the move.

Suddenly, you heard the sound of footsteps behind you, and you spun around to find that you were no longer alone in the dark forest. A hooded figure emerged from the shadows, and though it didn’t seem to move quickly, it still somehow ended up in your space before you realized it. You let out a gasp as the figure reached out and grabbed your arm, and even this close, you couldn’t see a face. The flower that was securely tucked behind your ear fell to the ground from your sudden harsh movement.

“What are you doing here?” the hooded figure asked. His voice was deep and gruff, yet void of any malice. His hood completely covered his face, and from this close you could see that he also donned a mask for added anonymity. On his belt, he carried several weapons, and the deep black sword especially stood out. You could also see the armor he wore over his robes glisten in the low light. This was obviously someone you did not want to mess with.

“I…” you were at a loss for words. What could you say? It wasn’t like you wanted to divulge who you were or that you ran away from your kingdom. But you also didn’t want to seem like someone who had gotten lost in the woods either.

“Aren’t you a long way from home… Persephone?” you heard the slight smirk in his voice. He kept a grip on your arm, but it didn’t feel like a threat for some reason.

Your eyes went wide; how did he know who you were? Maybe you should have grabbed a cloak or something so that your features were hidden, but it was too late for that now. Strangely, you didn’t feel as scared as you should have been around him. It almost felt as if the voice in your head that pulled you forward led you right to him. Was that how he found you too? Was there a voice that pulled him as well?

In the distance, you could hear the howls of wolves: the Cerberus. Legend had it that a pack of black-fured wolves guarded the border to the kingdom. Some would even say that it wasn’t even an entire wolf pack, but just three unusually large dogs. Those who have glimpsed it say that they move as one, appearing as if they were one large beast with three heads.

The hooded stranger took your silence as an answer on its own and ushered you through the forest and away from the howls, “Come with me,” he spoke in a low tone. He left it unsaid, but he felt an immediate need to protect you and keep you safe, and that started with getting you out of the darkened woods.

It felt like a whirlwind, and you couldn’t even react as he led you to an unknown destination. As the outline of a dark castle came into view, realization dawned on you and you figured out who had found you, “Hades…” you breathed out.

He let out a single sharp laugh, “You’re smarter than you look,” he replied.

Hades was both well known and a complete mystery to everyone, even other royals. His kingdom was shrouded in shadow, the night to the day that was your own kingdom. He had a reputation for being a loner, and he was ruthless to any enemy who stood in his way. And no one had ever seen his face. You wondered if he even remembered his real name or if he was among those who had forgotten it.

Rumor was that he belonged to an ancient sect, the Mandalorians if you remembered correctly, and it was part of their teachings to never show their faces, but no one knew for sure. For the most part, Hades’ kingdom, the Underworld as it was nicknamed, was left alone. And that was how everyone preferred it.

You tried to struggle, but his grip was too strong, and though he did not hold you hard enough to hurt, you still failed to break yourself free. How did you find yourself so easily taken by Hades? Technically you did run away and into his territory, so were you really his prisoner? He did not seem interested in harming you, but he did not seem to want to release you so easily either.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he seemed to sense your hesitation and in his words he spoke the truth. He would never hurt you, not when he just found you. 

His words took you off guard and you looked into the blackness of his hood, “Then why don’t you let me go?” you offered back in as confident a voice as you could muster.

At that, he said nothing. You let out a dramatic sigh as you decided not to struggle for the time being. As your eyes darted around, you became increasingly aware of how much you contrasted your new surroundings. Everything was dark and plain compared to the robe adorned with flowers you wore. And yet, something about Hades’ palace was almost comforting in a strange way. Maybe it was because nothing about the castle was exactly lavish. It seemed to exist only for utility and not for show like your own palace was. It was much smaller than your own as well.

“Stay here,” he broke the silence as he left you in a small room and disappeared through the doorway.

There wasn’t much to the room, just a table with a bowl of fruits on it and a couple of chairs. As you eyed the bowl, your stomach started to growl and it dawned on you that you hadn’t eaten in some time. You looked around as you wondered if you should eat some of the food on the table. He had left you in a room with the bowl, which had to be on purpose, and he didn’t explicitly say that you couldn’t. 

With a shrug, you decided that a little snack couldn’t hurt anybody. Besides, who knew how long you would be here? You grabbed the brightest thing on the table: a handful of pomegranate seeds. They were surprisingly tasty, and you wondered how something this luscious grew in such an unforgiving land.

You had no idea how long you stayed in that little room. It was hard to tell the difference between night and day in this kingdom, but eventually you relaxed into one of the chairs and drifted off.

When you woke up again, you were in a different room and laid out in a soft bed. You furrowed your brown in confusion before you shot up to stand. The room was small; there was only space for a bed and a dresser with a small bathroom attached. One thing that did catch your eye, however, was there was a single flower laid out on the dresser. Upon closer inspection, you noticed that it was your favorite: similar to the one you had tucked behind your ear when you first encountered Hades. But, you could tell it was not the same one.

“What…?” you whispered to yourself as you picked up the flower and rolled it gently in your hands. 

Your thoughts were interrupted, however, when the door to the room suddenly burst open and Hades’ hooded figure stepped into the room. The two of you just stared at each other in silence for several long minutes. Your mind went in a thousand directions as you looked into the abyss of his face and you wondered what was going through his mind. Faintly, you also realized that the pull you had felt for so long as stopped now that he was in front of you.

“You like the flower?” he finally asked in a raspy voice.

“I… Yes,” you fiddled with it as you stuttered, surprised that the gift was from him.

He let out a soft laugh that you wouldn’t have heard had the room not been so quiet. It was a nice laugh, and it made you wonder if the rumors about him were all wrong. Sure he was an intimidating figure when you first met, but he seemed to be nothing but kind to you, even if he was your captor. Is that what he was? Ever since you left home, everything felt so strange and so upside down that you weren’t even sure about your current predicament. And yet, you didn’t feel afraid. This man was armed head to toe, and yet you felt completely safe with him.

“Follow me,” he broke the silence again as he stepped just outside the door.

You blinked a few times before you set the flower down and did as you were told, “How long was I asleep?” you asked as you fell into line a few steps behind him.

“All night,” he replied shortly. Both of you were silent after that. 

He led you down a hallway into a larger chamber that was beautifully lit with candles. Your mouth hung open at the sight, and the light was a welcome warmth after all the darkness that engulfed you since you were brought here. A man in a white robe stood at an altar at the end of the room and it took you a moment to recognize that your mother and father stood nearby. Demeter had a sullen look on her face while your father remained stoic.

“What is going on?” you asked, since no one wanted to break the tense silence in the room.

“We’re getting married,” Hades replied matter-of-factly. When you just stared at him, he continued, “Your father arranged it so that we can unite our kingdoms in peace.”

You were too dumbfounded to say anything and the ceremony went by in a blur. It was mostly a formality, nothing special or extravagant. It wasn’t that you were opposed to marriage, but you certainly did not think you would end up married like this. Sure it happened at times to unite kingdoms or bring peace to warring lands, but you had been groomed since childhood to take over the throne yourself, not get married off.

“Why did you have to do this, Persephone?” Demeter shook your shoulders once the vows were exchanged, “Why couldn’t you just listen to me and do your duty? Why did you have to eat the seeds?” she berated you with questions and you wanted nothing more than to run away again.

Truthfully, you didn’t even think of the consequences when you ate the pomegranate seeds, but Hades had argued that since you ate food from his kingdom and accepted his gift of the flower that you were bound to his land now. But, he struck a deal with your father that you could return home for half of the year if you ruled the Underworld at his side.

Rage burned within you as your mind caught up to your body. You felt used and tricked, which you expected from your parents, but not from your newly found companion. Why did you hold him in a higher regard than them? You didn’t think too much about it and shook the thought from your head. You ran away to escape the life that was expected of you, not to fall further into it. With a huff, you stormed out of the chamber and back into the room that you had woken up in.

You slammed the door shut behind you and leaned back against it with your eyes closed as tears of anger slowly fell down your cheeks. With a few deep breaths to calm yourself, you opened your eyes again and almost immediately they landed on the flower. What was once a beautiful gift now became an ugly reminder of your situation. You stomped over and grabbed the flower harshly and opened the window to throw it out.

Just as you were about to swing your arm, however, you froze. For some reason, you couldn’t bring yourself to do it. You tightened your grip on the flower as you tried again to throw it out, and again you couldn’t do it. With a defeated huff, you tossed it onto the dresser instead and collapsed onto your bed. 

Your bed?

You closed your eyes as you thought about what would happen next. A thousand questions ran through your mind. You could run away again, but where would you go? Was this any better than what you came from? Was it worse? Why did this Hades marry you so quickly after meeting once? Why were you more angry about not being consulted about this than being married to him? Why did you feel this pull to him? Did he feel that pull towards you?

Eventually your mind was able to quiet itself and you drifted off to sleep. Between your emotions and the way your mind raced, you found yourself exhausted already. And you just wanted to escape this realm for a little while and just dream. When you dreamed, you dreamed about him. 

What you didn’t know, however, was that everything you had felt was reflected in the blank stare of Hades’ hood. He found you in the forest because he felt a pull towards you; a pull he had felt every time he looked in the direction of your kingdom. To finally see you in person was more than he could have asked for, and he was captivated by you immediately. You couldn’t see it, but underneath the hood, he had a look of pure adoration for you. And more nights than not, he dreamed of you. In those dreams too, you always used his real name: Din Djarin. 

Chapter 2

Over the next week, you didn’t leave your little room, too angry and hurt to face the world. Ironic that you ran away from your kingdom and your castle that felt like a prison to you only to find yourself in a different kind of prison. With a sigh, you gazed out the window and watched as people milled around in the nearby streets. You thought about how happy they looked, and it made you reflect more than you wanted to admit.

Every morning, there was a knock at your door, and every morning you ignored it. You knew who it was, and you weren’t ready to face him just yet. That pull still remained, however, and you felt it harder just before he knocked at your door. And it stayed after he gave up, which compelled you to get up and open the door. When you did, you found a single flower pinned to the outside of the door. No note or anything, just the flower.

You gently yanked it off and smelled it. The fragrance felt like a welcome warmth in the coldness of your current situation, and even though you were still angry for what he did, you found that you couldn’t bring yourself to hate your new husband. Even in your head, it sounded weird: your husband. For the first time since you locked yourself in your room, a faint smile graced your face.

The cycle repeated daily, with a knock on your door that you ignored and a single flower left behind as a gift. Eventually, you had enough flowers piled on your dresser that you were able to arrange them in a beautiful little bouquet. The sight of it lifted your spirits, and you suddenly had a new resolve to actually do something with your time now that you were in this new kingdom. 

You dressed yourself in a fresh robe that was left for you and draped a cloak over your shoulders. The robe was a beautiful color, though more muted than what you normally wore, and it complimented you perfectly. Before you stepped out, you glanced over at the bouquet of flowers and decided to pick one up and tucked it behind your ear. It was the first one that was left for you, and it was by far your favorite.

As you walked the streets of the kingdom, you found that it was actually a pleasant place. The dark and dull skyline that you could see from your castle completely contradicted how full of life this place was. People milled along as they went about their business, and the market was more lively than you would have guessed. It was colder than you were used to, and the sun did not shine brightly in the sky, but overall it was not a horrible place to be. It felt homey and comfortable, which surprised you.

You greeted vendors who had no idea who you were with a smile, and you just took the opportunity to take in your surroundings. Brightly colored fruits stood out from the dark wood of the carts, and they looked too delicious. Beautiful woven robes and dresses lined another stall in deep colors that you never would have appreciated had you not seem them up close. And the streets were cleaner than you would have imagined them to be. 

The thought popped in your head that you completely misjudged this place as you stared at the skyline from afar. You wondered if you misjudged its ruler as well…

A shout from the far end of the street knocked you out of your thoughts, and you immediately rushed over to see what the commotion was about. When you approached, you saw that a man towered over a young woman. She obviously looked uncomfortable with the way he grabbed her, but no one else bothered to do anything about it. Not you, though, you were not going to stand for it.

“Excuse me,” you approached with a fire in your eyes from under the hood you wore, “Are you too blind to see that this lady does not want you in her space?”

The man scoffed and turned his attention to you, “Hasn’t anyone ever told you to mind your own business?”

You stood tall, you weren’t going to let this scum of a man intimidate you, “But it is my business,” you quipped back in a pointed tone, “Or have you not heard about the new ruler here?” Normally, you hated to use your rank, but you did not like the way this man threatened others and it was the fastest way you could think to diffuse the situation. You stared him down with a fiery gaze that you hoped would be intimidating enough.

It was, and it stopped him in his tracks as he looked into your face. Realization dawned on him and he immediately backed off, “Sorry, sorry,” he mumbled as he retreated.

With a satisfied smirk, you turned to the young woman, “Are you alright?”

She nodded, “Yes… thank you…” her voice was meek and she didn’t dare look you in the eyes as she expressed her gratitude.

No one noticed, but a hooded figure watched the entire confrontation from the shadows. From under his hood, Din couldn’t help but smirk as he watched you. Your beauty and your strength were unmatched, and Din had never felt more drawn to you than in that moment. He ducked away, however, before he felt the pull toward you strengthen and you were left alone again. 

The rest of the day was uneventful and you made it back to the palace without any other incidents. When you reached your room, you found another flower on your door, and you couldn’t help the grin that lit up your face as you pulled it from the door. You thought you felt eyes on you, but when you looked over your shoulder, all you could see were shadows. With a shrug, you went into your room, unaware that Din watched you from the darkness with his own grin.

Somehow, the sun felt brighter when you woke up the next morning, and you decided to head out for the day again. As you opened the door, you came to expect a flower there, and you were not disappointed. You plucked it and tucked it behind your ear as you headed out. Strangely, you didn’t feel the familiar pull that you became accustomed to, and you wondered where the hooded man was.

You let yourself wander wherever your heart led you and you ended up in front of an orphanage. There was no shortage of orphaned children even in your kingdom, so it was a sight you were familiar with, but you wondered why of all places, you brought yourself here. With a deep breath, you stepped inside, but nothing could have prepared you for the sight that greeted you.

In the middle of the room, surrounded by children was a familiar hooded figure. He didn’t see you enter right away; he was too preoccupied with caring for the children around him. For such an intimidating man, he was incredibly soft and gentle with the little ones, and even though you couldn’t see his face, you could tell how much they meant to him. You leaned against the doorway and just watched him for a time, and a new feeling swelled in your chest.

He held a toddler in his arms, and the child looked over at you and cooed when he saw you. That was when Din finally looked up and noticed you. As the child in his lap giggled at you, he tilted his head to the side and you couldn’t help but smile.

“Is this how the rough and tough ruler of the Underworld spends his days?” you joked as you moved closer.

Din replied with a short laugh, “The foundlings are the future. We must look after them.”

You nodded in agreement, at a complete loss for words. You never expected a man with his reputation and who appeared so rough around the edges to be so caring. He seemed so genuine around the children too. The toddler in his lap reached out for you, and you carefully lifted him up into your arms.

“He’s new here,” Din explained as he watched you hold the child and he was never more grateful to have his face hidden, “I found him held captive by mercenaries on the outskirts.”

“Does he have a name?” you asked, unsure of what to say to that. You had so many questions for him, but you felt like that was a conversation for another time when you weren’t surrounded by children.

He shook his head.

You turned to inspect the child’s face. He had big brown eyes that seemed to look into your soul. When he smiled, you could see his little teeth. You don’t know why, but a name popped into your head, “How about... Grogu?”

The child cooed at your suggestion, and Din couldn’t help but laugh fondly, “Grogu?” he echoed you and the baby turned to him and babbled happily.

Both of you laughed softly as you both decided that the name stuck. You spent the rest of the day in the orphanage with him and the children, and somehow everything just felt right. The sun had long set when you two finally left, and you let him escort you back to the palace. Neither of you spoke, but you both felt comforted by the other’s presence. You even found that you stayed closer to him than you thought you would, and the feeling when his side brushed against yours sent bolts of electricity through you. 

It wasn’t until you reached the door to your bedroom that you both stopped and turned to face each other. Even from under the hood, you could feel his gaze on you, and he slowly and carefully reached out and ghosted his hand over the flower tucked behind your ear.

You felt your skin burn at his barely-there touch, “Thank you for these,” your voice was just above a whisper, but you knew he heard you.

“It suits you,” was all he said in response, “Goodnight Persephone,” he was about to turn away, but your voice stopped him in his tracks.

You told him a name, your name, your real name, and you felt him tense in front of you, “Can…” you took a deep breath, “Can you use my real name?” when he didn’t say anything, you felt the need to clarify more, “I don’t have anything against the name. It just doesn’t feel like mine, you know?”

If you only knew how much he related to that. Din gave you a single nod and said your name in a hushed tone that made your heart skip a beat before he disappeared down the hall. You looked forward to the daily gift of a flower on your door the next morning.

Over time, you spent more and more time with Din, and you felt more and more comfortable around him. He wasn’t much of a talker, but you learned that he communicated in other ways, and you quickly learned what his head tilts and subtle body language meant. And he always continued the tradition of leaving a flower at your door every morning, and you wore it behind your ear for the day.

Most days were spent at the orphanage with Din, and you noticed how much he seemed to relax around the children. It made your heart melt when you saw this hooded, armored man be so soft with the little ones. One day while you walked back, you asked him about his life before ruling, and he told you stories of his time as a mercenary. And for every story he told you, you offered one in return, though you felt yours were far less thrilling than his.

A new routine that started with the two of you was that he would walk you to your room every night. It started the day you spent at the orphanage for the first time, and it became an unspoken thing ever since. It felt comfortable at first, but the more the nights went on, the more you found that you didn’t want to bid him farewell for the evening.

And Din felt the same way about you. He longed to reach out and caress you; the pull he felt never felt stronger than when he was about to leave you for the night.

The two of you lingered in front of your door, neither of you wanted to move. In order to keep him in front of you, you asked a question that had been on your mind since you first met, “How did you find me in the forest that day?”

He put a hand on his hip and tilted his head to the side slightly, a sign that meant he was amused, “I’ve felt a pull for some time and I followed it,” he answered plainly. He paused for a moment before he asked a question of his own, “Why did you run away?”

You sighed, you figured the question would come at some point. But, you wanted to be honest with him, “I didn’t feel right there, you know? Like it was never truly my home. I never wanted to rule, it was just something that was expected of me,” you let out a deep breath as you thought of your home for the first time in a while, “I’ve felt this pull too, so I decided it was time I followed it.”

“I never wanted this either,” he watched as you looked at him with wide eyes, “I was a mercenary most of my life. It was tough, but I was free to travel whenever I wanted,” he paused and gestured to the black sword on his belt, “I won this sword and the kingdom came along with it.”

Silence fell between the two of you as neither knew what to say next. You never would have guessed that this man had so much in common with you, or that your stories were so similar. You fiddled with your fingers as you looked anywhere but his hood. There was another question on your mind, but you weren’t sure if you wanted to ask it out loud.

He seemed to read your thoughts, and after a heavy sigh, he broke the silence, “Din.”

Your eyes met the darkness of his hood, “What?’

“My name,” he spoke in a soft voice as he carefully reached out to you, “It’s Din Djarin,” he rested his hand on your cheek as he spoke, but didn’t let himself relax until you gave him the silent permission to do so. 

You exhaled deeply as you leaned into his touch. A comfortable silence fell over you again, and this time you were the one to break it, “Din…Can I stay with you tonight? If that’s ok?”

Din’s grip on your face tightened slightly as he nodded. His hand dropped and trailed down your arm before he took your hand in his and led you down the hallway to his room. It was just as plain as the rest of the little palace, and it felt like it was more for utility than anything else. And yet at the same time, it felt homey. Maybe that was because of his presence. 

You stood in the middle of the room and bit your lip as he watched you. When your eyes fell back to his figure, you suddenly felt the urge to reach out for him. Without a word, you lifted your hands and gently caressed his face through the hood much like he did yours earlier. You heard him sigh as he leaned into your touch. The two of you stayed like that until Din covered your hands with his own and slowly started to push his hood back.

“Din…”

“It’s alright,” he whispered. In your conversations, he has spoken about the creed he took as a youngster and explained about his covered face. Din had told you that he could only remove his covering in front of his own clan, but you chose not to press it further. You were understanding and never once questioned it, and that only made him fall for you more.

Guided by his hands, you pushed his hood back so that he only had the mask on the lower half of his face. The first thing you noticed was his brown eyes, which held a softness that made your heart skip a beat. His brown hair was messy from the hood, but it looked so soft and you couldn’t resist the urge to run your hand through it once.

Then, you slowly reached for the mask, and you paused when you had a grip on it before you took it off. His eyes told you all you needed to know and you took off the last barrier from his face to the rest of the world. He looked so nervous, which was something you did not expect. The man who walked with such confidence and was always quick to protect those he deemed worthy of it, was nervous in front of you.

Your eyes scanned his face and took in every little detail that you could in the low light of his room. Your hand traced the frame of his face before you cupped his jaw and ran your thumb over his lips. Din closed his eyes and you felt his lips lightly kiss your thumb. He was so handsome, and you couldn’t resist the urge to lean forward and place a soft kiss to his lips.

He froze at first, but quickly leaned into your touch and wrapped his arms around you as he deepened the kiss. It felt like a burst of flames between your bodies as you embraced each other. It was as if every decision in each of your lives led you to exactly this moment, and nothing had ever felt more right. 

“You know,” you whispered with a smirk when you broke away for air, “If I had seen your face earlier, I wouldn’t have stayed mad at you for long.” 

Din gave you a quick half smile before he cupped your face with one hand and pulled you back into another kiss. This kiss was much more heated and passionate. You moaned into the kiss as you felt Din shuffle your bodies towards his bed, and you were more than happy to let him lead you there. 

Din broke away just for a moment to say your name. He waited for your eyes to open and meet his before he spoke again, “I love you.”

You smiled widely as you kissed him again, “I love you too, Din.” 

Chapter 3

Ever since Din took you to his room on that night, you had spent every night since with him. For a man who had killed without mercy, he was always so gentle with you, and you never felt safer than when you laid in his embrace. And the more nights you spent with Din, the more you fell in love with him. The pull you both felt towards each other was finally calmed with your union, and neither of you had ever felt this happy or content in your lives.

Time flew by and before you both knew it, your last night in Din’s kingdom was upon you. With a sigh you nuzzled yourself into his arms and you felt him squeeze you tighter. The two of you lay nude in his bed, and yet you felt as if you couldn’t get enough contact with him. Din also felt the desperate need for as much skin to skin contact as possible. It was as if he could never get enough ever since the first night you spent lost in pleasure with him, especially since you were the first skin to skin contact he had in his entire adulthood.

You wish you had spent more time with him in bed, since it took you some time to let your walls down around him. But since those walls came down, the emotions poured out, and you found yourself more drawn to him than ever. And Din felt the same way about you. He took in a deep breath as he held you in his arms and savored the warmth of your body against his and the soft smell of flowers that you always had.

“Din…” you broke the comfortable silence with your soft voice, “What do you think would happen if I didn’t go back.”

You felt his chest rumble with a questioning grunt as Din shifted himself to look at your face, “You would stay? With me?” he paused, “For me?”

You couldn’t help but smile through your sad eyes, “I would,” you gazed into his soft brown eyes and you saw the same sadness reflected in them as you felt. 

Din was surprisingly expressive with his eyes, which was something you did not expect from a man who hid his face from everyone except for you. Whether it was his body language or the way he looked at you, you almost always knew what he was thinking. After several moments of silence, he spoke again, “It’s risking a lot, with the deal we struck…”

“I know,” you sighed as you rested your head back down on his chest and just listened to his heartbeat for a few minutes. “I know this wasn’t exactly what I wanted at first… At least that's what I thought,” you let out a short laugh as you thought back to your unconventional first meeting, “But what about what I want?”

“What do you want?” he asked right away as he hand flexed against your skin.

A half smile flashed across your face; Din was the first person in your life to ask what you wanted and you did not take that lightly, “You.”

Din held you even tighter somehow as he placed a soft kiss to your head, “I’ll protect you, no matter what happens.”

“I can take care of myself, Din,” you quipped back softly without malice in your voice. You had always been tough, and people always underestimated you. People saw your appearance and your flowers against your skin and immediately thought you were weak, but they couldn’t have been more wrong. And during your time with Din, he made sure to show you self defense techniques just in case you needed them. You were definitely a force not to be reckoned with.

“I know you can, my love,” he replied as he brought a hand under your chin to tilt your head back up, “But that doesn’t mean I won’t defend you with everything I have. You mean more to me than anything else.”

You genuinely smiled at his words, “Since when were you so poetic?” you kissed his lips, “But I love you regardless,” you whispered against him.

“I love you too,” Din said your name with such affection.

Outside the window, you could see in the distance that your kingdom looked to be in such disarray. The once bright and lively fields looked dull and dim, and you could tell that nothing much seemed to grow in the lands. In fact, the Underworld seemed to be more lively than your home kingdom. Vaguely, you wondered why that was, and you did feel a pang of guilt at the sight. No doubt your people felt the consequences. Yet at the same time, you had never been happier in your life, and you wanted to chase that happiness. You were stuck between two impossible choices, and though your heart knew what it wanted, your head was conflicted. 

You had made your decision before you fell asleep that night, and the next morning you sent word to your mother that you would not return home. You stood at the window, lost in thought as you stared at your old home in the distance when Din came up beside you and slipped his hand in yours. Since you were closed off in his chambers, he had forgone his usual hood so you could find some comfort in his face.

“I’ve got you,” Din reassured you as he gave your hand a squeeze before you both fell into a silence again.

Demeter, of course, was not pleased with the news. She answered back with a warning message that promised war if you were not delivered by the end of the day. For the first time in your life, you were truly terrified and you couldn’t stop yourself from trembling as you read the note. But you couldn’t go back, not when you found love and finally felt like you belonged somewhere. And you didn’t think your mother would actually follow through with her threat.

“Whatever you decide, I’m here,” Din whispered in your ear. He could see the conflict in your eyes, and as much as it would pain him to lose you, he would support your decision. You both had your people to think about too, although it was a role neither of you wanted, you still couldn’t just escape that responsibility. 

“I want to stay,” your voice was barely audible as you looked at him from where he held you in his arms, and you felt him give you a squeeze in response.

Unfortunately, Demeter was true to her threat and in no time, Din’s little palace was set ablaze. Din sent orders for his people to flee and hide to try and minimize casualties, and the palace took the major brunt of the attack. It helped ease your guilt to know that your mother did not seem to want to harm innocents, but tears still filled your eyes and you and your husband fought side by side against the invaders in your halls.

You each had a sword in your hands and you and Din worked so well together in combat. The two of you seemed to move as one as you easily took down soldier after soldier. But just as the first wave of men fell, more seemed to emerge from the shadows. As they shot at you, Din jumped in front of you and used his armor as your shield before he grabbed your hand and led you down the hall.

But it was fruitless as more of Demeter’s men blocked the exit and shot at you again. This time, Din was not fast enough to jump in front of you and a spear grazed your side. You screamed in pain as he caught you and dragged you down another hall. The shouts from the enemy soldiers didn’t even register in his head, nor did the faint smell of flames.

Din took you into a secluded room and locked it, and from the window, he could see that the soldiers had lit his palace on fire. With you injured and guards at every exit, he knew you were both trapped and he couldn’t help the panic that ran through his veins. This wasn’t how this was supposed to end. He was supposed to protect you. You were supposed to live and be happy.

Tears filled your eyes as you smelled the smoke start to creep into the little room you were currently trapped in. You glanced up at Din and you could tell even behind his covered face that he tried to come up with a plan to get you out of here, although you knew it was useless.

“Din,” you called out to him in a hushed voice, which made him drop to his knees as he ripped his hood off.

He said your name as he kissed you and wrapped you in his arms as just let you cry. Tears of his own pooled up but he refused to let them fall. Even in these last moments, he was determined to be strong for you and protect you as best as he could. Heat rose in the room as the fire quickly started to creep through the door.

“I’m so sorry,” you cried into his arms, “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. Now we....”

Din held you close as he hushed you with your name, “It’s ok my love,” he whispered as he placed soft kisses to the top of your head as the flames engulfed you both, “This isn’t the end. And I will find you in the next life. I promise, through darkness and flame I will always find you. Nothing will keep you from me, my love.”

You woke up with a jump in the cold bunk that you found yourself in for the night. This was the fifth night in a row you had that same dream, and it only got clearer and clearer the more nights you saw it. If you didn’t have the threat of a bounty on your head, you would have spent more time trying to decipher what it meant, but you had bigger problems to worry about.

You had spent the past few months on the run throughout the galaxy as you hopped from planet to planet. It wasn’t what you had planned or wanted as next in line for the throne of your home planet, but since your parents decided to ally with the Empire, you couldn’t take it. You didn’t want to be associated with them, and you didn’t want to trap yourself in that life, so you ran. With nothing more than the clothes on your back, the weapons on your belt, and a necklace around your neck with a pendant of your favorite flower, you ran.

At least the planet you found yourself on now was a beautiful one. Naboo was everything you imagined it would be and more, and you only wished you could actually take the time to properly explore the lush forests and gardens and rivers. But you had to stay in the shadows as much as possible to avoid being caught. You had outrun and outgunned several bounty hunters who were after you, and you had to keep your wits about you if you were to stay free.

What you did not count on, however, was that a Mandalorian would come after you. Though you had never met one, you knew about their reputation, and this one in his shiny silver beskar definitely lived up to the legend. He cornered you before you even saw him and though you tried to put up a fight, he easily overpowered you. During your scuffle with him, he managed to graze your side where you had a large scar-like birthmark. You didn’t think much of it at first, but the spot throbbed and burned more than it should have for such a light hit that you took.

When he spoke for the first time, different words came from his mouth than his usual “bring you in warm” line, “Through darkness and flame I will always find you.” Under the helmet, Mando linked several times and was shocked at his own voice. Where did that come from? And why did you look so familiar though he had never met you before?

At that, you froze. Those were the exact last words that the man you were in love with in your dreams said. The Mandalorian took advantage of your state and easily dragged you back to his ship. For some reason, though, he chose not to cuff you and instead just held you by your arm and dragged you behind him. Both of you were silent as he led you away, both completely lost in thought and equally as confused at your encounter.

When he reached the Razor Crest, he was greeted by a small green child with big ears. The child looked up at you both from where he sat and cooed inquisivelty. You stared at him in silence for a few moments; he too felt so familiar to you, even though you had never seen his species before. For some reason, a name popped into your head as you and the little child stared at each other. But, for now you kept that to yourself. 

The Mandalorian scooped the child up in his arms before he tugged at your arm and led you up to the cockpit. Without a word, he sat you down in one of the empty seats before he sat in the pilot’s chair and took off. The child sat in the other chair in the cockpit and happily babbled at you as if he knew who you were. You sat there, unsure of what to do next or even what to think. You couldn’t see his face, and yet he felt so familiar to you. After a long, tense silence, you couldn’t take it anymore.

“Why did you say that to me?” you asked as you clutched your side where that scar still burned.

Din was silent. Truthfully he had no idea why those particular words came to him, but there was something about you that felt familiar. Not to mention you had a striking resemblance to the person who he saw in his dreams lately. He kept his body still as to not let on how conflicted and confused he felt underneath the armor.

You felt a familiar tug in your chest as you watched the Mandalorian in silence until you opened your mouth and spoke a single syllable, “Din…”

At that, he turned around and faced you. How did you know his name when no one else did? He stared at you from behind his visor when suddenly everything just fell into place. You must have realized it too as you both realized that it wasn’t dreams that filled your minds, but memories of a past life. Without a word, Din stood and wrapped you in his arms and you couldn’t help the tears that flowed as you collapsed in his arms.

“You found me,” you whispered into his chest. In this life, you and Din had just met, but your souls had been in love since before you were born. And the two of you fell into each other as if it was the most natural thing in the galaxy. From his seat, the little green child cooed and giggled as he watched you both embrace each other as if he could also sense what was going on.

“I found you,” he echoed.

The circumstances of your meeting were far different than before, and neither of you knew what would happen moving forward. But you both knew that as long as you were together, you could conquer anything. And this time, Din was determined that your story would not end in flames.

**Author's Note:**

> See more works on my tumblr @FlightlessAngelWings


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